How Do You Handle Situations of Stress?

Aldo Noseda, VP, IT Enterprise Services for Monsanto, can’t be won over by a piece of paper. A resume alone won’t get you through his front door. He still relies on recommendations when he’s looking to hire.

When you go in for an interview, you’re selling a product, and that’s you. You don’t have to impress Noseda with all the jobs you’ve had. All you need to do is impress him with your education and your passion. Sure he’s looking for IT people with technical skills, but that’s usually not enough. Noseda wants staffers that have strong soft skills, such as the capacity to communicate, interact, influence and relate.

Ultimately Noseda wants to know how you’ll respond in a business environment. That’s why during an interview he’ll ask how you’ll react and resolve a specific situation of conflict or crisis. For example, a supervisor gives you an assignment, but it conflicts with a business situation you’re trying to resolve. The goal is to see how you’d resolve a situation of stress.